LP Office Hours

LP Office Hours (LPOH) are free, half-day workshops that connect emerging managers (EMs) from diverse backgrounds to limited partners (LPs), experienced general partners (GPs), and industry advisors. 2023 LPOH event dates have not been announced yet. Check back soon for updates!

Launched in 2018, LPOH are hosted twice a year both in person and virtually. Virtual events focus on a specific type of LP, while the in-person events focus on LPs in a specific region. View more details of our past programs.

The goal of each event is to foster open and collaborative dialogue, and to provide a safe space for historically underrepresented EMs to seek guidance and advice from leaders in the field. Key topics include fundraising, managing the GP-LP relationship, and managing a VC fund. Please note that this is an educational program, not an LP pitching event.

Each event begins with an educational component, followed by four rounds of highly-curated “office hours” (small-group roundtables and 1:1 conversations between the EMs and the office hour “hosts”). In-person events conclude with a casual networking reception.

Participation in the program is limited to ensure that each EM has time to meaningfully interact with the hosts and each other. Approximately 25 EMs are selected for each event, via a brief application process.

LPOH

Ways to Participate
Impact
Demographics
Current & Past Programs
EM Participation Criteria
Office Hour Hosts

Next program date TBD

Ways to Participate

Underrepresented EMs

Apply to participate as an EM (participation criteria can be found at the bottom of this page)

LPs

Host office hours
Host small roundtable discussions with EMs

Experienced GPs

Host office hours
Host small roundtable discussions with EMs

Industry Advisors

Sponsor a program
Host small roundtable discussions with EMs

Impact

8

programs hosted

200

EMs served

88

LP hosts

45

experienced GP hosts

600+

meetings curated between EMs and LP/GP hosts

100%

of most recent LPOH EMs would recommend the program

EM participants in the most recent LPOH 8 - Family Offices:

64%

64% women or nonbinary

88%

88% people of color

52%

52% outside CA, MA & NY

20%

20% LGBTQ+

"As an emerging fund manager with limited social capital, events like Venture Forward’s LP Office Hours really make the difference. I appreciate being able to connect with top-tier GPs and LPs, start relationships with them, and get insights to help me on my journey to becoming a successful fund manager."

Lolita TaubGanas Ventures

"LP Office Hours was a great event that has served to move me one step closer to my goal of launching my own VC fund to invest in women and underrepresented people of color."

Nikolai SpenceIntel Capital

"I am pleased to have been able to participate in Venture Forward's LP office hours program. The format was excellent, concise, and very well run. I got a lot out of the three hours and found the LPs who participated to be well prepared, direct, and willing to provide actionable feedback. I will definitely recommend it to my peers!"

Virginie RaphaelFullCircle

Current & Past Programs

LP Office Hours 1 – Palo Alto

LP Office Hours 2 – Boston

LP Office Hours 3 – Washington, DC

LP Office Hours 4 – Los Angeles

LP Office Hours 5 – Fund of Funds

LP Office Hours 6 – Foundations & Endowments

LP Office Hours 7 – Chicago

LP Office Hours 8 – Family Offices

LP Office Hours 9 – New York

Emerging Manager Participation Criteria and Process

LPOH are intended to support people who:

Consider themselves an emerging VC fund manager
Are part of a demographic group that is historically underrepresented in venture capital
Are physically based in the U.S. (even for virtual events)
Want to learn more about fundraising and managing the GP-LP relationship

To attend, EMs are asked to complete a brief application which collects professional and demographic data.

In the case of in-person events, applicants with a connection to the host region will be given preference. In the case of virtual events focused on a specific type of LP, applicants whose needs best align with that LP type will be given preference.

Applicants will be notified of the selection decision several weeks before the event. Selected applicants must then confirm their availability and intent to attend the full event. Invitations are non-transferable; if a selected applicant is unable to attend, or only available to attend part of the event, that seat will be offered to an applicant from the waitlist.

Because the meeting schedules are highly curated, we are unable to make any exceptions for EMs who are only able to attend part of the event regardless of the circumstances.